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Natural isotopic composition of carbon (δ 13 C) correlates with colony size in the planktonic cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata
Author(s) -
Vuorio Kristiina,
Meili Markus,
Sarvala Jouko
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.2009.54.3.0925
Subject(s) - fractionation , isotopes of carbon , carbon fibers , isotope , composition (language) , plankton , δ13c , environmental chemistry , cyanobacteria , range (aeronautics) , biology , stable isotope ratio , environmental science , chemistry , ecology , total organic carbon , bacteria , paleontology , chromatography , materials science , linguistics , physics , philosophy , quantum mechanics , composite number , composite material
To assess variability in carbon isotope signatures (δ 13 C) between and within populations under natural conditions, with a particular emphasis on colony size, we repeatedly collected planktonic colonies of a freshwater cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata in two lakes, Pyhäjärvi (southwest Finland) and Erken (southeast Sweden). Despite substantial differences in the average δ 13 C signature of Gloeotrichia between lakes (‐6.9% in Pyhäjärvi and ‐20.7% in Erken), a similar, systematic increase in δ 13 C with colony size was observed in both lakes (of 2—3% in Pyhäjärvi and 3—5% in Erken). This suggests declining isotope fractionation with increasing colony size, probably related to diffusion limitation of carbon availability. Temporal variation explained a minor fraction of total subsample variability (range δ 13 C ~4% in Pyhäjärvi and ~6% in Erken). Isotopic 13 C fractionation in Gloeotrichia was likely affected both by carbon source and by colony size.